Medicine Hat’s championship moment belongs to grieving goalie Harrison Meneghin

When the final buzzer sounded and the confetti began to fall, the Medicine Hat Tigers were Western Hockey League champions once again. But amid the wild celebration, the most poignant moment came quietly, with a simple handoff.

Team captain Oasiz Wiesblatt, standing at center ice with the Ed Chynoweth Cup, chose not to lift it first. Instead, he called over goaltender Harrison Meneghin, giving him the honour to raise the trophy that his heart and hands had helped deliver.

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Meneghin, a 20-year-old from South Surrey, British Columbia, had just completed a heroic playoff run, but it was what he endured off the ice that made this moment so personal. Just five days before the Tigers’ playoff journey began, Meneghin lost his father, Derek. He returned to the crease with poise and resolve that carried his team all the way to the title.

Meneghin’s MVP run lifts Tigers to sixth WHL title
Meneghin’s performance in the 2025 WHL Playoffs was unmatched. Over 16 postseason games, he posted a 14-1 record with three shutouts, a 2.32 goals against average, and a .907 save percentage. That earned him the WHL Playoffs MVP award, making him just the third player in franchise history, and third goaltender to win the honour, joining Kevin Nastiuk (2004) and Matt Keetley (2007).

The Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Spokane Chiefs 4–2 in Game 5 to secure the WHL championship, their sixth overall and first since 2007. Meneghin was a steady force all postseason long, and his mental fortitude became a rallying point for the team.

“I’m super proud of him,” Wiesblatt had said after the team’s playoff opener on March 28, in which Meneghin posted a shutout just five days after his father’s passing. “It shows a lot of resiliency from him, it’s pretty incredible. There’s not a lot of words to put towards it, guys were crying after seeing him get that win.”

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Tigers set for Memorial Cup appearance
Meneghin, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the final round of the 2024 NHL Draft, was acquired by Medicine Hat from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in October. He finished the regular season with a 23-10-1-1 record, a 2.58 goals against average, and a .900 save percentage.

With the WHL championship secured, Medicine Hat will now represent the league at the 2025 Memorial Cup from May 22 to June 1. They’ll compete alongside the host Rimouski Océanic, the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats, and the OHL champion London Knights.